A Virtual Trip Around Israel
(Original)

Shani Beradt
(Age 12, Israel)
Ben- Zvi., Kiryat- Ono

My idea is that we will build a web site, and on that web site will be a virtual trip to Israel. The trip will be in all the holy places in Israel for all religions (like the Western Wall, Jerusalem, E’laktza Mosque and many more…) and every holy place will be explained, so the readers can learn more about every holy place they visit even if it isn’t holy to their religion. The trip will also be in places that Jews, Christians and Moslems live together in peace, like Jaffa and Pkein, and explain how people can live peacefully together although they have different religion. There will be a picture and guidance of every place that the trip will take place in.

• How would that virtual trip make peace?

When people will travel around Israel with that trip, they will see that people can live together in spite of their difference. They will also be aware of Israel’s beautiful landscapes and that we can share it, without any war. On the trip’s web site will be also a chat or forum so people from Israel can talk with people from Lebanon and Syria about the trip, about what they’ve learned from the trip and about subjects that they interested in. In that way they will see how similar they are, although their different culture and origin.

The trip also shows us that there are many holy, important and beautiful places for all religions and nations in Israel and it has a great significance for all the people, so maybe people will read it and try to find a solution for our constant war problem, because Israel is so important and beautiful place and that will be a shame if we will destroy all of that by war…

• How would we make that virtual trip?

We can speak to the Foreign Office, tell them about our idea, and about how it will influence the peace process. Then we will ask them to help us to build the web site. With the Foreign Office’s help, we will build the web site and advertise it in the newspapers, T.V., and Internet in Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Jordan, so many people will enter the web site and learn more about the peace process in the Middle East.

• In which places will the trip be?

The virtual trip is based on two main attitudes. The first one is based on national issues and the second is based on religious issues. The trip starts from the north of Israel and ends in the south of Israel. The first site in the trip will be the holy place to Christians- the Tidings Church. Then it will be in Taberias, and will be an explanation about the story of Jesus when he walked on the water. Then next place will be Pkein, which is a village, were people of the most popular religions live there peacefully. The next site in our trip is Jaffa, which is a city that has holy sites for the Christians. Jewish, Moslems and Christian people live there together. The next place will be Sh’hem. There is a very holy place for Jews in Sh’hem- the grave of Josef. Now the trip is going to be in the holiest place in Israel for all religions- Jerusalem.  There are many holy places in Jerusalem: the Western Wall, E’laktza Mosque, Santa Anna Church and the Grave Church. Every site will be explained, and we’ll write about the brotherhood that Jews, Moslems and Christians live with in Jerusalem, but also about the disagreement about Jerusalem’s proprietorship between Israelis and Arabs. Our trip will end in Hevron. Hevron is a very important place for Jews and Moslems, because they assume that our “fathers” are buried there.